During September, many garden clubs will be reconvening after their summer vacation which makes this a good time for finalizing and presenting a really eye catching, value added customized UK tour at their next meeting.
In the months ahead, your customer’s gardening magazines will be carrying details and images of the 2016 Year of the English Garden and the Tercentenary of Capability Brown, the UK’s most famous Master Gardener; so get ahead of the game and capture this interest by offering them a program that they won’t see in any tour operator’s brochure, which combines large and spectacular castles and stately homes with privately owned homes and gardens rarely open to the general public.
As you read on, I’m going to invite you to think out of the box and look for untapped potential from other sources like rose, orchid, and herb organizations and even the team that decorates your church for Sunday worship!
A Celebration of English Gardens
Use the Chelsea Flower Show (May 22nd-28th), the world’s greatest flower show, as the focal point for a series of visits to castles and stately homes where the garden was the winner of the fiercely contested Christies/Historic Houses Association ‘Garden of the Year’ award. With careful planning these horticultural masterpieces can also be customized into a memorable pre- or post-cruise excursion.
Chelsea in London and Bloom in Dublin
The closer you look, the more you find. Did you know that you can now offer your gardening clients a tour that starts with the Chelsea Flower Show in London, meanders through some fabulous gardens in the Cotswolds and among the misty mountains of North Wales, and finishes with a rewarding day at Bloom in Dublin—Ireland’s largest gardening and food event?
Rose Tinted Gardens
The Hampton Court Flower Show, a perennial favorite, takes place from July 5th-10th in the 60-acre garden at King Henry VIII’s majestic palace. Perfect for your Rose Club/Society, you can precede or follow it with 5-6 days of special visits to stunning gardens, at their peak for fragrance and color. This RHS show will appeal to clients who were too busy in their own garden during May!
It’s all about Orchids
Take a look at this website which will reveal whether or not there’s an Orchid Society near you. Click on Affiliated Societies and then on Affiliated Societies Near You and you might be pleasantly surprised by what and who you see listed. Offer them a tailor made tour with the RHS Orchid Show (April 7th-9th).
An Herbal Remedy
If you have a look at the Herb Society of America and click on About Us, you’ll see that there are 46 ‘units’ across the country. Clients of yours may be members and if you served them well, they’ll be delighted to introduce your proven expertise to their colleagues. Ahead of that conversation, check out an itinerary that will bring a big smile to their face!
Say it with Flowers
Are you on the flower rota at your church? If so, your fellow flower arrangers will be very happy to follow you on an unusual garden tour which includes the Chelsea Flower Show, 5 of England’s finest gardens, and the Festival of Flowers in Chichester Cathedral. With a few additional touches, they and their husbands will be reaching for their passports.
A Cornucopia of Garden Festivals
This isn’t quite a ‘Tuesday it must be Belgium’ itinerary, but with careful timing it’s possible to put together a tour that includes the 2016 Dublin Rose Festival, the Belfast Rose Week, and the Royal Horticultural Society show at Tatton Park near Chester. With value-added visits to some stunning gardens in Ireland, North Wales, and the Cotswolds, this July 2016 tour fills 9 nights/10 days.
And One for the Back Burner
With the Royal Horticultural Society confirming that they will be staging a brand new Garden Show between June 7th and 11th, 2017 at Chatsworth House, start thinking about a Grand Houses and Great Gardens tour that includes special visits to Blenheim Palace, the Cotswolds, Castle Howard, and Burghley House.
Just some flowery thoughts out of the box!
Paull Tickner, creator of Special Interest Britain, is an expert in developing customized niche travel programs for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Check out his website at www.customgb.co.uk and email him at ptickner@customgb.co.uk